Archive for May, 2009

At first I almost didn’t recognize this very different acoustic version of the beloved Led Zeppelin tune Black Dog. The whole story behind the recording is unclear, and in fact, if you go looking for answers you’ll find anything but consensus. What we do know is that it’s taken from The Slog, a late ’80s bootleg cut-up of a number of Zep standards. That’s really Plant we’re hearing; whether the guitar is Page or a mimic we may never know. But hell, it sounds like his style, and most importantly it sounds good. Sign me up.

Speaking of country music, here’s the legendary flatpicker Tony Rice playing his arrangement of Norman Blake’s Church Street Blues. Tony is among the all-time great bluegrass musicians, and his speed and dexterity are marvelous to watch. While this performance doesn’t showcase his ability to fly all over the fretboard, it’s a great song and the picking pattern is incredibly intricate. And he doesn’t even need to anchor his pinkie to the sound board to get that kind of control!